Lorient – PSG Preview

Lorient conceded very early last round away at Sochaux. The goal came from offside, demoralized Lorient and they found it impossible to get back in the game.

Overall it was a poor performance, way under Lorient’s capabilities. Being in the middle of the table, with less than 10 rounds till the end of the season, motivation can be quite an issue. Fortunately it won’t be the case against PSG, as every Ligue1 club is prone to extra efforts whenever they play against them.

Last round Lorient welcomed back central midfielder Coutadeur after a long injury. He played only 10 minutes and it was too early for him to make any difference. But before the injury he was an important player for the offensive phase, constantly pushing the game forward. Hopefully against PSG he will play more minutes and will have a bigger influence on the game.

Lorient may welcome back central midfielder Bourillon and striker Aboubakar, after both of them missed last round. On the other hand they will be missing fullback Gassama through suspension. Seeing that fullback Guerreiro is highly doubtful, Lorient may play with Pedrinho and Baca as fullbacks. That’s a grim prospect ahead of a game against PSG…

Although PSG’s wingers Cavani and Lavezzi weren’t that visible last round against St Etienne (PSG won 2-0) they certainly have enough talent to take advantage of Lorient’s softness on the sides.

PSG once again dominated last week against St Etienne. They left few spaces for opponents to maneuver, while upfront they concentrated more on attacking in the center, where Ibrahimovic was in a good mood (scored both goals).

There shouldn’t be any doubts that PSG are able to score against Lorient, more than once. But hosts will be more fired up than we’ve seen them recently, and this determination will especially be seen in the offensive phase, where Lorient can inflict damage even in the best Ligue1 defense, especially with Coutadeur fully fit and maybe even top scorer Aboubakar back.

There are still rounds to be played, but with PSG having a considerable distance at the top and Lorient not playing for anything in particular, this should be an open game, a feast for the eyes. Over 2.75 goals at 2.05.